Who says they have to be “silent” movies?

City Lights is my all-time favorite motion picture. It’s Charlie Chaplin’s finest performance – you can argue that his work with The Kid and The Gold Rush is more significant, but this film – released in the 1930’s, after the advent of synchronized sound in motion pictures, yet still retaining Chaplin’s mute Tramp character – is absolutely stunning and poignant. Chaplin’s Tramp with a heart of gold befriends a blind flower girl (played to perfection by Virginia Cherrill), and maintains a friendship with her – despite her mistaken belief that the Tramp is a millionaire and not a scruffy street vagabond.

The best part about City Lights is that I can be in the worst mood in my life, the deepest, darkest depressed area, and I can still pop my old VHS copy of the film into the VCR and watch it – and my heart would lift. This film is absolutely amazing.

I came across this homemade music video this morning, while working on a different blog post. And I really felt like sharing with all of you.

In the final scenes of City Lights, the Tramp has raised enough money to pay for an operation to restore the blind girl’s sight. However, in doing so, he gets arrested, and spends years in jail. Upon his release, he discovers that the girl, no longer blind, now runs a flower shop. He still has feelings for her, but doesn’t want her to know that the millionaire she dreamed of was only a poor, dusty everyman.

Normally this scene would really get to me – but someone decided to add a few more emotive heart-tugs, and soldered the climactic end of City Lights with the Journey song “Lights.” Really good stuff. Take a look.

And it got me thinking… were there other popular songs that could be mashed into vintage silent motion picture footage?

Sure there was. A quick peek around YouTube found these mashups –

THE DISCO BISCUITS v. “METROPOLIS”
On Time

At least it’s not the 1984 Giorgio Moroder remix. Thank GOD for that.

THE PET SHOP BOYS v. “BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN”
After All (The Odessa Steps)

One of the most stirring images in silent film, given new life by the legendary Pet Shop Boys.

THE TRANSISTERS v. (CHARLIE CHAPLIN v. BUSTER KEATON)
Under Control

This is truly “Dancing with the Stars.”

REELS OF STEEL v. NOSFERATU

This group actually remixed soundtracks from other films into this classic vampire saga.